Gray x Natsu One-Shots
by UltimatexAdmin
Summary: Just a bunch of Gratsu oneshots I decided to write based off dialogue prompts :). Requests are open. RATED T FOR LANGUAGE, VIOLENCE, POTENTIAL TRIGGERS, ETC.
1. Intro

**Note: this is not a chapter, this is an author's note explaining the context of these one-shots. I did publish the actual chapter at the same time though, so just swipe or click to view it once you're done reading this (or you can just skip the note, I won't be offended lol). **

**-**

**Okay so. Long story short, I found a bunch of cute dialogue writing prompts and decided to make a book with chapters based around those prompts. Some of them are sad, but some of them are cute and happy. Don't worry, I'll provide a warning when one of these one-shots is gonna be emotionally heavy and difficult to read, because some of them will cover sad scenarios. And the main ship I'll be using in all of these since I live and breathe for it is Gray x Natsu, from Fairy Tail. Yes, it is gay. But we'll make it work. **

**If you have any dialogue prompts that you really want to see, either leave a review or DM me on discord (my tag: UltimatexAdmin#1458). You can also DM me on here but I often forget to check my messages so I may not see it. But I do check for reviews daily, that's one of the best ways to reach me besides discord. Don't worry about how graphic/sad the prompt is, I can always bump the rating on this fic to Mature if things get too graphic and depressing (no that's not an invitation to request lemons, I'm referring to character death, extremely violent scenarios, abuse, etc).**

**I will update this pretty frequently, seeing as it won't take as long to write something revolving around a preselected prompt, but I'm not gonna stop updating my other fic (Without You). **

**Alright I think that's all you need to know, let's get started! The first chapter awaits. **


	2. Not you again

**"Not you again..."**

-

_Natsu POV_

It had been another frustrating day.

The sun was shining, birds were singing in the trees with shimmering emerald leaves, and a few fluffy-looking white clouds drifted lazily through the bright blue sky, in absolutely no hurry to go anywhere. Anyone else might've seen it as a perfect day, but not me.

The way I saw it, the sky was so blue it only added to my anger. Everything was so pristine and lovely that I wanted to punch a hole in the nearest tree.

Gray and I had been fighting as per usual at the guild. Erza had tried to break it up, but neither of us would listen. Long story short, I ended up with a bloody nose and a bruised collarbone thanks to some well-placed punches Gray threw at me after I called him a popsicle stick. Fuming with the outrage and embarrassment of someone who's just lost a fight in front of fifty other people, I stormed outside in hopes of calming myself down.

But everything outside was so infuriatingly perfect I wanted to destroy it all. I wanted to somehow fly my way up to the sky and pound on the perfect blue atmosphere until it cracked and shattered like glass.

I balled my hands into fists, grumbling under my breath with a venomous look in my eyes. All I could think about was the smug look of grim satisfaction on Gray's stupid face as blood gushed from my throbbing nose and started streaming down my face in bright red rivulets.

_He's stupid. I hate him. _I thought, my temper rising as I touched one hand to my sore and probably bruised nose. _Dammit. I might be walking around with a discolored, swollen nose on my face for the next two weeks. Thanks, Gray, you son of a bitch. _

I kept marching down the cobblestone road, ignoring the curious stares of random people milling about in the streets. They had been running various errands, dressed in brightly colored clothing, with the usual townsfolk plastic smile on their faces, but for whatever reason they wanted to stop and stare at me. I probably looked a lot worse than I thought.

_I should've seen Wendy and asked her to heal up my nose. _I kicked myself inwardly for not doing that, but then my train of thought circled back to Gray and repeated itself. _He's stupid and his face is stupid and I swear I'm gonna kill him the next time I see him. _

I kept walking until I reached the outskirts of town, where almost nobody was out and about. The less people around to stare, the better. I found a little stream cutting through a desolate meadow at the edge of Magnolia, where a few tall trees grew alongside the fresh, cold blue water. I hated that it was cold, but I still crouched down and drank some from my cupped hands anyway. Cold things reminded me of Gray and his stupid ice magic.

_He's stupid. _I thought, for the thousandth time that day.

I found my way over to the nearest tree, only a couple paces away from the trickling stream, and slumped down beneath the crooked, tangled branches and rustling green leaves, my back against the trunk. I sighed and dropped my head into my hands.

_I'm stupid too for letting him beat me. I must be going soft. _Once again I was inwardly kicking myself for no reason whatsoever.

The only thing that helped ease a very small amount of my bad mood was the possibility that Erza had kicked Gray's ass afterwards like she always did when she caught us fighting, except usually my ass got kicked too. But I had stormed off as quickly as possible, which probably saved me from her infamous ass-kicking.

The bark of the tree trunk dug into my back, making me uncomfortable even with the thick leather vest I always wore. The vest was black with orange trim, and I always left it completely open in the front, revealing my toned torso beneath the thick white scarf I always had wrapped around my neck. I saw no real reason to question my odd sense of fashion, and although I was showing a lot of skin, I always got irritated whenever Gray took his shirt off.

_Honestly though. An open vest is better than no shirt at all... Right?_

To be completely honest, I had no idea. I knew I was being a bit of a hypocrite, thinking a lack of shirt was bad when I was barely wearing one myself. But whenever Gray absentmindedly took his shirt off for absolutely no reason whatsoever, it made my stomach do uncomfortable things and my breath catch in my throat. I had no idea why or how he made me feel that why, but I didn't like it.

I closed my eyes and tilted my head back so it was resting on the wood behind me, taking a deep breath. My nose didn't hurt quite so bad anymore. Perhaps it wasn't as bad as I thought. I knew it wasn't broken, because it hadn't gone crooked (thank gods), but it still hurt like the devil for at least an hour.

_The pain always makes the injury seem worse than it really is. _Igneel's old teachings echoed back and forth in the walls of my mind. My lips twitched upward in an amused smile as I recalled the huge red dragon, crimson scales pockmarked with whitish-pink scars. His warm amber eyes staring deep into mine as he chastised me for crying over a small cut on my arm. _And remember that small wounds have a tendency to bleed excessively. As long as you haven't severed an artery, you'll be fine. Just bind the wound and get on with life. _

There was a pretty great life lesson in that, I decided. Maybe I shouldn't let Gray get to me so much. After all, we had been rivals since we were kids, always fighting because we refused to be outdone by our elemental opposite. Fire and ice were always meant to clash. That was how nature worked. But maybe I shouldn't keep taking it so hard when he beat me. After all, it wasn't the end of the world, and we weren't actually enemies.

Suddenly I heard soft footsteps approaching. I had sharper hearing than most humans, so I heard it long before anyone else would've.

My eyes flew open, and I sat bolt upright, eyes narrowing and jaw setting in a determined line.

It startled me when I realized the talk, thin form approaching me was Gray. His silky black hair looked very windblown, but it wasn't nearly as wild as mine. He had pale skin, grayish-blue eyes that were so sharp and piercing it took my breath away. His facial features were sharply defined yet beautiful at the same time, like a tall, proud icicle standing in the ocean. I grimaced when his hauntingly cold eyes landed on me.

"There you are." he said, his familiar voice hitting me like a brick to the chest. It was soft and smooth, but it had an undertone of power and free will, like snow cascading down the side of a mountain.

I groaned loudly and turned away from him. "Not you again..." I muttered, waving him off and hoping he'd go away.

"Oh, come on, you don't have to be like that." Gray sighed and crouched down in front of me in such a way that I was forced to make eye contact again. "I'm the one who had to walk all the way out here to find your stupid ass."

"Hah!" I barked a harsh laugh. "Clearly you didn't have much trouble with that, you saw which direction I went when I stormed off earlier."

"But I had no idea where you went afterward, so I'm just lucky you're not smart enough to go anywhere else other than a perfectly straight line." Gray shot back, folding his arms and glaring at me solidly. His glares were terrifying because of how vividly cold his eyes were. He had the audacity to add one word. "Dumbass."

"Hey, who do you think you're calling a dumbass, you droopy-eyed mistake!" I exclaimed, springing to my feet as my temper reached a dangerous new high. I was so angry with him I just wanted to tackle him to the ground and punch him until his face was caved in. "I came out here to be alone, you're the dumb one for not getting the message!"

"Is your nose okay?" Gray rose to his feet as well. The sudden gentle, softness of his voice startled me and instantly cooled off my blazing anger like a bucket of ice water. "That's the whole reason I'm here. I wanted to make sure I didn't break it. That, and Wendy was worried. She said you need to come back and let her have a look at it."

"Hmph." I tried to pretend I was still mad and turned up my chin at him, but something about the way he was talking to me was making my heart race.

_What the fuck is wrong with me? Why do I feel this way? _

"So what do you say? Wanna come home and get your nose fixed before it swells up any more and turns you into Rudolph?" Gray inquired, giving me a teasing smile. "Not that you didn't look as ridiculous as that stupid reindeer to begin with, but..."

"Oh, shut up!" now I was laughing as I punched him in the arm playfully. "Yeah, let's go back. My nose hurts." I added, with a slightly more serious tone.

"Ouch." he mumbled, rubbing his arm. "Alright, let's go then." he turned and started walking back into town.

I hesitated and put my hand over my chest, grimacing as I realized my heart was still pounding out a rapid rhythm. _What's going on with me? _I wondered, than I realized I forgot something.

"Gray?" I called out.

He glanced back at me, and the warm smile on his face caused my cheeks to turn a delicate pink, though I wasn't sure why. "Yeah?" he replied.

"Thanks for coming out to check on me. I really appreciate it." I said, grinning widely.

"Anytime." Gray nodded and clasped his hands in front of him. "Let's go, Rudolph, I swear your nose is swelling up more and more by the second..."

I laughed again and followed him back to the guild. _Maybe that stupid ice mage isn't so bad after all... _

**-**

**Alrighty, that's the first one-shot! Hope you like it! Remember that requests are open. If you have a dialogue prompt that you really _really _wanna see, just hit me up! The most effective ways to reach me would either be through discord (tag: UltimatexAdmin#1459) or by leaving a review right now. You could DM me on this site, but I forget to check my inbox, so there's a chance I won't see it until long after you send it. So if you don't have discord, I recommend leaving a review right here, right now. I'll write a chapter for every request I receive, just so long as it hasn't already been done yet, or isn't too similar to a chapter that already exists. I'll also credit you for your prompt.**

**Aight, thanks so much for reading! See you next chapter!**

**_-UltimatexAdmin_ **


	3. I'll keep you warm

**Note: this fic takes place after Gray watches Ur's ice melt into the ocean. Some details have been rewritten or substituted for the sake of keeping this fic an original recipe. Please don't come at me for that lmao.**

**ALSO THE VERY NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE BASED OFF A REQUEST FROM NINA-CHAN202 (my favorite review writer). The only reason this chapter isn't based around her request is because I didn't get the request until AFTER this chapter was more than halfway finished and I didn't want to scrap it because I feel like I did really good on the details in it. Don't worry Nina-Chan, I've seen your request and I can come up with a prompt for it easily. I'm actually really excited to write it, I've never done anything vampire-related before (spoiler alert o.o)**

**-**

**"I'll keep you warm."**

**-**

_Gray POV_

My eyes were wide with shock and horror. I felt a horrible tearing sensation in my chest, followed by the most painful ache spreading from where my heart used to be. Everything was wrong. This shouldn't be happening. All my hopes that Ur was still alive... crumbled into dust.

I had come running into the dark cavern with blackish stone walls to assess the current situation. I remember how my running footsteps pounded in my ears and reverberated off the ancient rock around me. And then... I rounded a corner... Tripped...

...and fell into a little pond of absolutely _frigid _blue water.

I was so disoriented. After hearing an all too familiar roar that caused the ground to tremble, I had run almost blindly to the chamber where Deliora was kept, encased in Ur's ice shell. The demon's roar brought uncomfortable memories of fire and death and blood to my mind. It was such a deep, grating, haunting sound that caused my mind to go blank and all the blood to drain from my face.

From that point on, the only thing I could think about was defeating my former senior, Lyon, so I could get to the cave and make sure Natsu was safe. _Erza, Lucy and Happy too, of course. _I had to remind myself.

When I finally managed to take Lyon out, the look of shock and betrayal on his face was enough to make me want to cry. Here was my senior, whom had helped me train under Master Ur, lying in a crumpled heap at my feet, a bloody hole in his chest from my well-placed ice canon shot. The warm red liquid... His _life blood... _Was splattered on my arms, my legs, my shirtless torso... Everywhere.

I didn't realize that most of the blood I thought was Lyon's was actually my own. There was still white-hot adrenaline coursing through my veins, so my entire body was numb and cold, and I had a strange overabundance of energy, despite the fact I had just spent the better part of three hours grappling with Lyon, who was ten times more powerful and dangerous than he was when we trained together.

Now that I had finished with him, I ran down the endless sandstone stairs of the temple to the wide entrance to the cave where Deliora was trapped. My whole mind was completely blank and I couldn't think straight.

Next thing I knew, I had fallen into this fucking ice cold pool of the most beautiful, pristine blue water I had ever seen. It was such a bright, gorgeous color that it took my breath away and held my attention for a couple seconds. I groaned and slowly rose to my knees, the adrenaline beginning to wear off. I was also regaining my ability to think straight.

_Wait a minute... Where did all this water come from? It wasn't here the last time I was, and... Wait... _My eyes widened as the horrible realization hit me. _I was too slow. Ur melted. She fucking melted. Deliora's free!_

A hoarse cry of alarm was torn from my lips and I tried to get up, but I was suddenly bone-tired and fading fast. My limbs felt as heavy as canvas bags of rocks hanging off my body, weighing me down and forcing me back to my knees. I felt so helpless as I slowly lifted my gaze and found myself staring into the glowing red eyes of the merciless bastard who killed my parents.

Deliora had been revived.

Even though he was lying above ground in the moon temple somewhere above me, possibly dead, Lyon had succeeded. He had brought Deliora back from the icy grave Ur had laid her life down to create, sealing the demon away for what she hoped was eternity.

But... The demon had been reborn.

And he was still just as hideous as I remember. Deliora was absolutely massive. Think of a giant bull walking on two legs with long, muscular arms like a gorilla's and twisted black horns of death. Thick, matted, greasy black fur covered the monster's entire body. An even greater black mane flowed down the beast's thick, sturdy neck, draping over his massive shoulders. He had the snout and teeth of a wolf. Razor sharp teeth glittered in the dim light as he snarled at me, upper lip curling back to reveal those horrible fangs that had killed my parents.

I froze, my entire body going completely rigid, as I stared up into Deliora's hideous face. Fear coursed through my bones, fast and unstoppable, like a deluge in a canyon.

I knew I was too weak to run.

But then... A familiar hot gust of wind blasted past me. That gust... Was none other than Natsu. He was yelling something I couldn't make out. He was definitely on a warpath, fast and unstoppable. For a moment I was completely entranced by the muscle definition in his toned arms and shoulders, but then I realized he was running at Deliora. Flames were sparking in his fists like red ribbons trailing behind him as he ran.

"_NATSU!"_ The word was torn from my throat so violently that it came out as more of a strangled cry than a roar of shock and despair.

My best friend was about to take on this demon of my past... And I knew he didn't stand a chance. Deliora was going to kill Natsu in front of me, just like the demon had done to my parents and to Ur. Panic seized my chest and I screamed again, lunging forward and reaching out with one hand. The long gash running from my wrist to my elbow surprised me. The long, jagged wound was bleeding profusely, but what startled me was the fact it existed at all. I hadn't realized I was injured.

Natsu didn't even glance back at me as he shouted, "Stay away from Gray!"

I realized he was talking to Deliora, and my heart broke a little more than it already was. _I'm sitting... In what used to be Ur's ice... Watching my best friend... Rush to his death..._

I couldn't move. Suddenly my entire body began to hurt dreadfully. Stinging, aching and burning flared up everywhere from various wounds I hadn't known I had. I could only watch helplessly as Deliora brought back one massive fist, massive muscles rippling beneath his black fur, and brought it down upon Natsu.

Everything happened so fast after that. I vaguely remember seeing the bright flash of light as Natsu's fist collided with the demon's, his entire body on fire. Thinking he had been crushed, tears sprang to my eyes and I considered screaming for the third time. But then... Deliora began to crumble away into black dust. That's the best word to describe what happened. One moment, he was a fully reawakened demon. The next, he was crumbling.

And Natsu was still standing there.

The relief I felt was indescribable. How had the spunky fire wizard survived? And had he defeated Deliora with a single punch? I couldn't wrap my head around it all. It was terrifying and exhilarating.

Natsu's eyes were as large as saucers as the former demon became a pile of dust at his feet. But then he raised his hands to the sky, fire dancing along and between his fingers, letting out a victorious whoop.

Next thing I knew, everything caught up to me. Now that the demon was gone, I could worry about Ur. Her ice that contained her very life essence was trickling out of the cave and into the ocean, and I was sitting in a pool that was slowly but surely getting smaller. The pain was excruciating.

I reverently scooped up a handful of water in my cupped hands. It was so cold my skin became numb and my injuries hurt even worse. After staring into the little puddle in my hands, I let it trickle between my fingers and I began to cry. Now, I didn't want to cry. I tried to stop the tears from falling because I didn't want to look weak, especially not in front of Natsu. But I couldn't help it. Everything hurt and Ur was just... _Gone._

"I miss you so much." I whispered, pressing my hand to my face, trying to hide the fact I was in tears.

"Gray!" Natsu suddenly splashed into the water beside me. It went all the way up to his shins. I wanted to scream at him to get out of the water and stop standing in Ur's remains, but it hurt too much. He dropped on his knees beside me, reaching out and putting a warm hand on my shoulder. "Are you alright? Oh damn... You don't look so good." he said, his voice softening.

I couldn't help it. My shoulders started shaking violently as I tried to hold back sobs. Next thing I knew, my hand was on his chest and I was trying to push him away.

"Go away." I mumbled, drawing my knees up to my chest.

"No. I won't." Natsu replied, patiently. "You're trembling and bleeding from more places than I can count. Plus, this water is fucking cold. I know it's not helping you any."

"Ur..." I started to say, but her name completely broke me. A horrible sob broke out of my chest before I could stop it, and fresh tears began streaming down my face. I put my other hand over my face, trying desperately to hide what was happening from the pinkette sitting in front of me, but I couldn't. He already knew and somehow understood what was going on.

"Hey. It's okay." Natsu gently put his arms around me and pulled me close. "It's okay. It's over now. Shhh." his voice was soft and soothing, nothing like the usual loudness he possessed.

I wanted to wriggle out of his grasp, but I found myself turning toward him, getting closer. I buried my face in his chest and kept crying. I was cold. For the first time in my life, I was shaking all over because I was cold. And everything hurt, the ache penetrating through my bones in some places. But Natsu was warm. He was so warm.

"It's okay." he repeated, running his fingers through my jet black hair. "I won't let anything hurt you like this ever again. I promise." his other hand began trailing down my bare back, expertly dodging the numerous gashes and bruises.

I clutched at his shirt with my trembling hands as if it were the only thing keeping him there. My entire body was wracked by sobs and shudders of agony. But Natsu didn't let go. He held me close, enveloping me with his warmth. I half expected him to crack some sort of insensitive joke like he always did, but he remained serious, instead whispering soft reassurances into my hair as his thumb rubbed the ache out of my temple in slow, soothing circles.

"Is he alright?" Erza's voice asked from behind me, laced with concern.

"No. He's a bit shaken up from all that. And look at how beaten up he is." Natsu gestured with one hand to the numerous bloody marks all over my body. For some reason, this made me cry even harder.

_Dammit, now I'm crying in front of Erza too... _

"Oh man. We should probably get him out of here then. Can he walk?" Erza questioned.

"I don't think so. Gray?" Natsu called out, sliding his hand under my chin and gently pushing up so I was looking at him. My midnight blue eyes met his golden ones. "Can you walk? Or should I carry you?"

I nuzzled my face into his warm shoulder, shivering all over. "I'm cold." I mumbled.

"I know, I know. It's gonna be alright." Natsu put his strong arms around me. "I'll keep you warm." he slid one arm under my legs and the other under my shoulders. With that, he stood up, with me nestled safely in his arms. Frigid water dripped off my body, upsetting my wounds. I groaned softly.

I must've lost consciousness at some point because I woke up a few minutes later, outside the cave, in the sun. The light from the blue sky was blinding, and I quickly shut my eyes again. Natsu was holding me in his lap, my head resting on his chest, his arms clasped around my waist. I couldn't help but blush a little when I realized how close he was.

"Poor thing." he whispered, draping his white scarf around my shoulders in an attempt to warm me up. My skin felt cold and uncomfortable; I subconsciously snuggled closer to him, sighing softly.

Now that I was out of that cave, resting in his arms, I felt safe. I could breathe again.

-

**Oh man I feel like I should've provided a warning that this chapter is kinda sad, but it doesn't involve any drama between Natsu and Gray themselves so I guess that's why I didn't. It's not that hard of a chapter to read, and it's not emotionally overbearing (speaking of which, I do have some chapters I plan to write at some point that involve character deaths, so I might actually have to bump the rating on this fic up to mature... BUT THOSE CHAPTERS WILL DEFINITELY HAVE A TRIGGER WARNING LABEL ON THEM SO AGHHH NOBODY PANIC-)**

**Like I said at the beginning of this chapter, the very next one will be based around a request my friend Nina-Chan (the best review writer alive) left as a review on this chapter. The only question left to ask is... How do you feel about vampires? :3**

**-_UltimatexAdmin_**


	4. I need your blood

**This chapter was requested by Nina-Chan202. She said she likes one-shots in which one of the people involved is a vampire, and asked if I could figure out a prompt for that specific scenario. It didn't take kuch thinking, writing prompts is my jam, and I came up with this gem of a chapter that I'm really quite proud of and excited to present. I've never written anything vampiric before, so this'll be hella interesting...**

**-**

**"I need your blood." **

**-**

_Trigger warning for some (kinda?) intimate, sensual moments, as well as biting and blood-sucking. THERE ARE NO CHARACTER DEATHS AND THIS ISN'T A LEMON, BUT I STILL FEEL THE NEED TO WARN YOU PEOPLE DAMMIT XD_

**_-_**

_Natsu POV_

I had always known there was something a bit different about Gray Fullbuster.

He was a thin yet muscular guy, being only two inches taller than me, with raven hair and midnight blue eyes that always seemed to glimmer with mischief and deception. His skin was almost paper white, so pale that if he closed his eyes he looked dead. And he almost never smiled, because when he did, it revealed that his canine teeth were extra sharp, almost like small fangs.

He had joined the guild at a very young age, only a few weeks after I did. He had joined searching for a way to free his old master, a woman named Ur, from an ice shell. But Master Makarov couldn't do anything for him, and instead offered the young boy around my age (barely ten years old at the time) a spot on the guild.

It didn't take much persuasion to convince Gray to stay. He had the cold, dead eyes of someone who's been through so much and seen things nobody should ever have to see. And we had the understanding, based off the way he dodged certain topics, that his parents were dead. He had been alone for quite some time, and was almost _happy_ that we were offering to take him in and make him part of our family.

I knew a thing or two about losing someone you love. Igneel, the powerful fire dragon who fathered me and taught me everything I knew about magic, had disappeared with no warning, leaving me to wander the woods alone for several weeks, starving and on the brink of collapse. Makarov had taken me in, too.

Gray and I didn't get along at all for the first couple years. We were always picking fights with each other and hurling insults over our shoulders at each other. We also had fist fights on a daily basis.

By the time we were twelve, I had begun to look forward to our fights. He was the only person in the guild who could hit me with such savage ferocity. He was the only person who would fight me willingly with the intent to draw blood. And several times over the years, he did. The pain made me stronger. I did find it odd, however, that when he got me to bleed he'd always do it up close, ensuring that it would splatter on his skin. Perhaps he was most powerful when he was extremely close. That was the only logical explanation I could think of.

Despite the fact neither of us would admit it, we had developed a weird sort of bond. We had grown up together, and with our constant fighting, we helped each other grow and become stronger. We pushed each other past our limits, so our limits expanded and became harder to reach. And I was grateful to him for that, because without my life of fighting him, I would've been so much weaker and inexperienced on the battlefield when it was finally my time to truly fight.

But to me, that bond meant so much more. I had eventually developed feelings for Gray, when I was fifteen or sixteen. So now whenever we fought, I always felt an undercurrent of affection. It was getting harder and harder to throw punches and kicks at him without feeling extremely guilty afterward.

_Sooner or later, these fights will have to stop... But what then? _

It was hard to imagine a world without Gray and our violent quarrels. Hell, that didn't sound like a world I'd want to imagine at all.

-

After a particularly intense fight that had actually been kinda heated (I had called Gray a sharp-toothed chunk of depressed, brainless ice and he had taken that as an invitation to start fighting), I was sitting in front of Wendy as she mended a broken nose with her gentle wind magic.

I couldn't help but wince and blush a little every time I thought of the fight.

It had started as it always did: regular punches and kicks, circling movements, me trying to batter down his defenses as quickly as possible. But then I goofed up and stepped to the left instead of the right as I threw a perfect hook punch at his head. He stumbled over my leg that had suddenly appeared at his left side. We were both off balance, and my own momentum carried me right into him so we fell together and I landed on top of him.

"Oof!" the ice wizard exclaimed as my weight slammed down on his waist.

It only took me a second to register what was going on. The way I had landed on him, straddling his waist, looked very... _Suggestive._ My cheeks turned as pink as my hair and a thousand apologies exploded out between gritted teeth as I quickly scrambled off him. He seized the opportunity and kicked me in the face- hard. I let out a yelp of pain as his foot connected with my nose and I felt the bone crunch.

Blood gushed from my nose and formed bright red starbursts on his bare chest. I couldn't help but feel a little infuriated when I realized he had a smug smile on his face. My hands flew to my nose and I pinched it closed, mewling in pain as my fingers pressed against the bone. It was broken, most definitely broken, as if the white hot waves of agony coursing up into my skull wasn't proof of that.

"Whabbid nu do dat for?" I asked, wincing as I realized how hard my voice was to understand.

"Sorry, Pinky." Gray mumbled, using his favorite and most infuriating nickname for me. He tried to wipe the blood off his chest with his hands, but he only succeeded in creating a red smear across his chest and getting the thick liquid all over his hands. He sighed and pushed himself into a sitting position. "You know I didn't mean to break it."

I frowned, trying to convey enough anger and frustration into one glare so I could knock him over with the force of it. "Yeb you dib mean to!" I shot back, trying to bite back the reflex tears that had sprung to my eyes from the sharp pain.

Gray sighed and decided it would be best to just leave it at that. He slowly got up, rubbing a bruise that was beginning to form on his shoulder from a well-placed elbow strike I had delivered, and walked away. I was so furious that I followed him.

Well, of course, I told myself I was following him because I was furious. In reality, I have no idea why I followed him. But what I saw next changed everything.

Gray didn't realize I was following him. He never once glanced over his shoulder, otherwise he would've seen me creeping up behind him. He walked down the long, narrow hallway with white mortar walls and light brown wood planks for the floor, and by the time he reached the darkest end where the boy's bathhouse was, he suddenly paused and raised his wrist to his lips. His wrist that was still covered in my blood. My eyes widened with shock as he licked the almost dried red liquid off his pale skin.

_Did he just... Taste my blood? _I couldn't even begin to process how creepy this was.

So I turned and ran soundlessly, still clutching my nose like an idiot, trying my hardest to conceal how badly I was shaken up. Gray Fullbuster, the kid I had known for years, liked the taste of blood. I didn't want to go so far as to say it was only my blood he enjoyed, because then I'd be exaggerating, but it slowly began to make sense why he'd always make sure that, when I bled during a fight, it would land on him.

I found Wendy and asked her to heal up my nose. Being the sweet little girl she is, she willingly complied. So I was sitting on a table in the open cafe, wincing as her tiny, gentle hands glided over the crooked lump that used to be my nose. Soft blue healing magic curled around her pale fingers like silk ribbons woven out of the sky, seeping into my skin and gradually soothing the pain.

The young girl didn't even bother asking how it happened. She knew where all my injuries came from.

So I decided to ask her some questions. "Hey, Wendy?" I called out, being careful not to disrupt her healing magic in any way.

"Yes, Mr. Natsu?" she replied, sounding totally engrossed in her work. A strand of ocean blue hair fell into her face and she paused briefly to tuck the unruly strand behind her ear, huffing in annoyance.

"Is there a such thing as people who like the taste of blood?" I asked, tentatively. "I'm just curious, I've never heard any legends like that and I'm sure it would be hella cool to read one. I'm into horror novels right now." I added, lying to cover up the real reason I wanted to know.

"Well, only in legend." Wendy hesitated and made eye contact with me for a second before returning to her work. "They were called vampires. They liked to bite people and suck their blood. It sustained them and even healed them if they were sick or injured. But naturally, no human was ever willing to give up even a single drop of blood to keep these creatures alive, so the vampires slowly died out. At least that's what the legend says. I don't believe in that kind of stuff."

"W-What did they look like?" I questioned, trying and failing to hide the way my voice was shaking.

"Oh, they're quite hard to spot unless you're looking very closely." Wendy explained, cheerfully. She had no idea that every word she said was making Gray look more and more like a vampire. "Abnormally pale skin, dark hair and eyes, and their canine teeth are extra sharp and a little longer than normal, like small fangs. And one particular legend even said they specialized in ice magic, of all things."

My eyes widened when she said that. Gray was an ice-make wizard. And he was unbelievably good at it. _I think he's a vampire. Oh fuck. _

"Wow. That's really interesting. So they need blood to survive, huh?" I pressed on, determined to figure out the source of my new problem.

"Yes." the girl nodded slightly. "If they don't have at least a small amount before the full moon rises, they will die slowly and painfully. It's a very nasty way to die, but they all were condemned to that fate thousands of years ago... Or so the legends say. Now shut up and let me fix your nose." She flicked my forehead with one finger and her hands continued to glide up and down the bridge of my nose. I could feel her magic carefully manipulating the broken, fractured bone back into place. It felt weird.

_You mean to tell me... _I thought as I watched Wendy work. _That Gray is actually a vampire who uses my blood he gets from our fights to keep him alive? I mean, I guess I'm not mad at him for trying to stay alive, but... Why me? _I wanted to shake my head and clear it of all these confusing questions, but they just wouldn't go away. Vampires shouldn't exist at all, and if they ever did, they should be extinct like Wendy said. _Is it because we fight all the time? Does that give him a way to obtain blood to sustain himself without biting anyone? I mean, I applaud how hard he's trying to keep from hurting someone but... It's so creepy._

I couldn't help but feel a surge of affection for the ice mage. Gray was probably frightened, trying to keep his true identity under wraps. But he needed blood to survive. I can imagine that he was tempted several times over the years to grab someone smaller and weaker than him and take what he needed by force, but he never did, no matter how close to death he got.

And our fights... Were saving him.

-

Now that I knew what Gray truly was, I began hating our fights as much as I loved them. I started intentionally making small mistakes so that he could get close enough to draw a little bit of my blood without it looking suspicious. It was almost fun, knowing that my "mistakes" were providing him with the means to survive.

But I hated the fights because I regretted them immensely. Poor Gray shouldn't have to feel the need to fight for what he needed, even if that was the only way to keep his identity under wraps. I wished there was something more I could do. Plus, he was starting to realize that I was making mistakes on purpose. I couldn't keep this up forever.

_What if I do what no normal human has ever done? What if I willingly let him take my blood? _

The idea came to me suddenly, after a particularly gruesome dream I had the night before. Gray and I had been fighting when he suddenly realized the full moon would be rising that night. Driven by his urge to survive, he tackled me to the ground and bit into my throat with those sharp teeth of his. The moment his fangs punctured my skin, I woke up in a cold sweat.

_He needs blood. But Wendy said they only need a small amount to stay alive. Am I really okay with letting him bite me? _

Honestly, I didn't know. But there wasn't any other option. I had to tell him that I knew what he was, and provide him with the opportunity to get what he needed from me. It was the least I could do to repay him for all the years he fought me and made me stronger than I ever could've become on my own.

The chance came on the day the full moon was set to rise. I knew it was the perfect time to approach him about it, but I had to get him alone.

I lowkey stalked Gray throughout the day, but he was always either talking to Erza about some random guild business, being clung to by Juvia (his aggressively annoying stalker) or listening to Lucy talk his ears off about some irrelevant drama she was all wrapped up in.

_Damn... Does he ever get a few moments to himself? _I wondered, as I accepted a warm drink from Mirajane and watched Gray talk to Erza out of the corner of my eye. _I need to get this done quickly. Won't those girls just leave him be?_

I couldn't help but feel slightly jealous of the three girls who always seemed to be taking up Gray's time. They all managed to hold his attention. I wanted to be someone like that for him.

Finally, Gray got tired of being social. By that time, it was sunset. I watched carefully as he got up and made a beeline for the hallway to the male dormitories. Now was my chance. I waited until he vanished into the dark hall before I got up and went in after him. I knew which dorm belonged to him, so I didn't have to worry about knocking on the wrong person's door.

I couldn't help the eerie feeling of dread that closed in around me as I silently crept into the hall. The walls felt like they were closing in on me now. My razor-sharp hearing quickly pinpointed Gray's soft footsteps echoing down the hallway. He was walking awfully fast, having already made it to the end of the hallway where it separated into two paths on either side that were lined with doors to dorm rooms.

I waited until I heard the almost imperceptible click of a lock where his dorm was before I made my move. I quickly navigated the narrow hall and turned left to access the set of doors labeled with odd numbers. Gray's number was 7.

I hesitated as I reached the door before I gathered up my courage and slowly knocked on it.

"It's not locked." Gray's familiiar voice called from within.

I took a deep breath, gathering my wits, and slowly pushed the door open. Walking into the room, the first thing I saw was Gray. He was sitting up against the wall directly across from me on a chair clad in black leather, chipping away at a ball of ice in his hands with a small whittling knife.

He slowly raised his icy gaze to meet mine, and I almost gasped. His beautiful midnight blue eyes seemed so alive and beautiful I wanted to push him against the nearest wall and kiss him until neither of us could breathe.

"Natsu?" he asked, almost tentatively, as if afraid something was wrong. "This is an interesting surprise. What brings you here?"

"Well, I kinda wanted to talk about something important." I started wringing my hands anxiously, my thoughts swirling around dangerously in my head. _What if he thinks I'm weird and doesn't accept my gift? What if he freaks out? _

My eyes flicked to his unnaturally sharp canine teeth for a split second, than back up to his eyes. He mustve noticed,because he frowned a little. "Yeah, sure. What's up, Pinky?"

"Hah, don't call me that." I shot him a quick look, irritation flickering in my eyes for a brief moment. "And yeah, it's important." I slowly and hesitantly moved so I was standing in front of him. He rose to his feet as well, abandoning his half-finished ice carving. _It's now or never. _I stepped all the way into the room and closed the door behind me.

"I-I... I saw you licking my blood off your arm yesterday." I blurted, before I could reconsider what I was doing. "And so I asked Wendy if there were humans who did that and she told me all about the legend of these long-dead ghosty guys called vampires. Apparently they need blood to survive."

Gray's eyes had widened so much that they looked like two miniature blue moons set into his pale face. He was also trembling, ever so slightly. And that frightened me. But I couldn't stop talking now that I had his attention.

"So I figured I'd lend you some of my blood, seeing as the full moon rises tonight." I finished, reaching up with shaking hands and brushing my hair away from my neck, tilting my head to one side so he could see what I was offering better.

"N-Natsu..." he stuttered out. "I-I can't do that to you... It just i-isn't right..." he sounded shocked and frightened at the same time.

I took a couple steps closer and gently clasped his hands between mine, ignoring his naturally ice cold skin. "It's okay." I whispered, reassuringly. "It's a gift. And I wouldn't let you unless I was fully okay with it. Just... only take what you need, and I'll be fine." My thumbs rubbed slow, soothing circles on the backs of his hands, brushing across his knuckles.

"Nat...su..." he was sounding too starstruck to say much else, but then his eyes widened again and he grabbed my hands roughly. "I don't want to hurt you."

"No, no, it's alright. I'll be fine. Come and get what you need." I leaned forward, narrowing the gap between him and I. I wanted to kiss him so bad, but I knew I shouldn't.

"O-Okay..." he hesitantly agreed, still sounding unsure of himself. He slowly slipped his arms around me and pulled me up so close I was pressed against his chest. He nuzzled his face into the crook of my neck, the sudden contact causing me to jump a little. "Are you sure it's okay?" He asked, muffled by my skin.

"Please, Gray, you need it to survive." I slowly reached out and ran my fingers through his unbelievably soft black hair.

He sighed, his breath tickling my neck. "I don't want to hurt you." He said again, and I laughed softly.

"Don't worry about that now. As long as it's keeping you safe, the pain means nothing to me." I reassured, pressing a quiet kiss to the top of his head.

He hesitated just a moment longer before slowly parting his lips so his sharp canine teeth were pressed against my skin. He began breathing heavily, uneasily, trembling slightly as he realized what he was about to do.

"Don't stop." I muttered, closing my eyes and gritting my teeth.

That's when I felt it. His fangs pierced my skin with only the slightest pressure on his part, and slid into me slowly. I gasped and flinched, startled, as the pain flared up from the two new puncture wounds. It was much more painful than I expected. I had to bite back a stream of curses so I didn't frighten him into thinking I was upset. _He needs this. _I reminded myself, quickly getting my temper under control.

Gray withdrew from the wound quickly, his fangs smoothly sliding out of me. I clutched his shirt with a death grip, wincing as I felt cold air brushing against the puncture wounds to the crook of my neck. It hurt like a bitch and I wanted to jump away screaming. But I couldn't do that to him. He was already scared enough that he was hurting me. I felt warm blood beginning to well out of my broken skin and trickle down into my shirt.

Suddenly he pressed forward again, reminding me that the bite itself was only the first stage of this process and we were moving to the second half. I grimaced and bit back a cry as he smoothed his strangely warm, soft tongue over the bleeding wound, scooping up as much blood as possible into his mouth.

Now it was his turn to reassure me. "Don't worry, it's not that deep. Getting the blood won't take long." he murmured into my neck.

He pressed his lips around the wound, sending a massive shiver down my spine. Even though the bright, stinging pain was making me quiver like an arrow, his touches were so light and gentle that I found myself enjoying this and wanting more. The pain doubled in intensity as he began to softly suck on my skin, drawing the blood out of the wound and into his mouth.

"Fuck." I muttered under my breath, my whole body tensing up.

Gray kept going for maybe two or three minutes, until all the blood had been sucked dry. Once I became accustomed to the burning and stinging agony in my neck, I began to enjoy what he was doing very thoroughly. There was something about the gentle pressure of his lips on my skin that made me want all of him for myself.

Finally, he pulled away, leaving two barely visible fang marks on my neck. "All done." he mumbled, wiping his mouth and looking down at the ground. His cheeks were flushed with embarrassment, but he still managed to choke out, "Th-Thank you, N-Natsu... You have n-no idea how m-much that meant to me..."

I smiled warmly, all my love and affection for him bubbling to the surface. I grabbed his wrists abruptly and pulled him closer, crashing my lips into his. After years of silent admiration, this kiss felt really good. His eyes widened and his blush deepened as he realized what was happening, but after struggling for a couple seconds, he completely gave in and closed his eyes, letting me kiss him. I wouldn't let him go.

"Natsu..." he whispered against my lips, breathlessly. There was something about the way he said my name that made my stomach do all kinds of flips.

"Shhh. Don't say anything. I know." I replied, and then I was kissing him again. I nipped at his lower lip before softly biting down and tugging back, implying that I wanted him to open his mouth and let me in.

He hesitated, and then obediently parted his lips, allowing me to slip in and explore his mouth. Around the taste of my own blood I found something else much more pleasant and unique that I immediately began to crave. He tasted like peppermint, cold and wintery and so very _Gray. _I knew I could never get enough of that taste, so I absorbed as much of it as I could before he made a muffled, frantic noise and I slowly pulled back so we could breathe.

A thin string of salvia briefly kept us connected, but it disappeared in a second. We were both breathing heavily, and my eyes were locked on his beautiful midnight blue ones. Even with his pale skin and small fangs, he was the most beautiful creature I had ever seen.

"Natsu." he suddenly said, after taking a minute to catch his breath. "I need... I need your blood. I won't have any other." his eyes blazed with an indescribably strong sense of passion as he spoke, causing my heart to try and leap right out of my chest.

I smiled and nodded eagerly. "Only if that means I get to kiss you more often, than you can have it anytime you want."

**-**

**Whoa. I had way more fun writing this than I thought I would. AAHDIDOSWIXOCJFJEIED I'M SO SORRY THAT ITS SO POORLY WRITTEN, I COMPOSED MOST OF IT VERY LATE AT NIGHT (it's 12:27 a.m as I'm writing this so) I SINCERELY APOLOGIZE FOR ANY TYPOS AND MISTAKES OH MY GOSH.**

**But yeah this chapter was cute and shockingly fun to write, huge shoutout to my friend Nina-Chan202 for her amazing request that brought me out of my comfort zone a lil bit. I've never written anything vampire-related before, so this was a new and fascinating experience for me. Thank you, Nina-Chan, for requesting this and giving me something to spent a bunch of time writing and worrying over. Half the time I was working on this I was fretting like "ugh this is so bad I hope to God she likes this" but by the time I was finished I kinda realized I didn't do half bad. So thank you so much, I hope to hear from you more in the future!!**

**IF YOU WANNA REQUEST A PROMPT, LEAVE A REVIEW WITH THE PROMPT AND I'LL INCLUDE IT IN THE NEXT CHAPTER!!! **

**I love all y'all beautiful people, see you next chapter!!**

**_-UltimatexAdmin_**


	5. I love your voice

**"I love your voice." **

**-**

_Gray POV_

Perhaps one of the things absolutely nobody knew about me was that I like to sing. But being the shy, insignificant little introvert I am, I absolutely refuse to sing out loud in front of other people.

I lived alone for quite a long time. While I read a book or worked on guild business that involved sitting at a desk and staring at nonsensical papers for hours on end, I liked to put earbuds in and sing along with my favorite songs. I don't think I sound very good. It was just something I liked to do.

But then a certain unstable power source named Natsu came into my life, and I wasn't alone anymore. We hadn't moved in together yet, seeing as it had only been two months since he asked me out and I shyly said yes. But we always came over to each other's homes on a daily basis. I liked not being so lonely all the time, but I kinda missed my old singing habit.

It was an interesting situation to be in. I didn't think I sounded good at all, and I didn't want to sing in front of anyone, not even Natsu. I was just generally afraid of what he'd think. If I didn't sound good to my own ears, who's to say it would be any different for his, which were a thousand times sharper than mine? I just didn't want him or anyone else to judge me based off the quality of my singing.

I was also kinda insecure about my voice. Kids used to make fun of me all the time for being too quiet, and that gave me a general hatred for the sound of my voice. I always worried that people at the guild were secretly judging me because I'm too quiet. So I try my hardest not to talk too much, unless I'm with Natsu and Erza. I'm comfortable with them, so talking to them has never been difficult.

But singing... is something I just _will not do_ in front of anyone else, not even those I'm comfortable with.

-

There came a day when Natsu said he was gonna come over to my place around dinner time. I left the guild early, around noon, so I could get home and make something nice for dinner. I wanted to surprise Natsu with a nice, homemade meal. He had told me not too long ago, just a week before he asked me out, that his idea of a perfect date was cuddling on the couch after a homecooked dinner. I'm not sure how I remembered that conversation, usually I'm very forgetful. Never mind that, I wanted to create his ideal date night.

I got home and immediately got to work. My idea was to make something Master Ur had taught me long ago. Spiced ribs and chilli beans. It was absolutely delicious. She taught me and Lyon how to make it when we were both eight years old, and it stuck with me ever since (mostly because she refused to leave me alone until I got the recipe absolutely perfect and cooked it to nothing short of absolute perfection).

The thought of my dead master brought a small, sad smile to my face as I wandered into my small kitchen and got to work. Natsu said he was coming over "around dinner time". Whenever I visited him for a date, we always ate around six in the evening. That gave me five hours to prepare the food. Perfect.

I gathered up the right spices (ground black pepper, green and red chilli, Basil, thyme, etc) and set to work mixing them in a large white bowl.

As I worked, I hummed softly to myself. I had "Message Man" by TØP stuck in my head, and the best way to cure songs stuck in your head is by singing them.

_It's been so long since I've last sang something. _I realized. _Maybe because this is my first time being truly alone since I started dating Natsu?_

I decided not to dwell on it. It felt nice to be singing again. As I cut up the meat, spiced it, and put it in the oven, I started singing every song I knew. I didn't need the actual song playing for reference, I knew them by heart. It felt good, even though I was pretty sure I sounded terrible.

I'm not sure how long I was there for, but as I was taking the freshly cooked meat out of the oven (it smelled absolutely amazing), I felt a familiar warm weight land on my back and even more familiar strong arms wrapped around me from behind.

I had been singing "Gold" by Imagine Dragons, but now my voice cut off abruptly and I blushed, completely embarrassed.

"Hi, baby!" Natsu exclaimed, sounding like an excited little kid.

"H-Hey." I hid my face in my hands so he couldn't see how shy and flustered I was. "H-How long have y-you been here for?" I asked, silently praying he hadn't heard me singing.

"Eh, five minutes." Natsu pressed a quick kiss to my cheek, making me blush even more. He nuzzled his face into the side of my neck, his hot breath tickling my sensitive skin. "I didn't want to interrupt your singing but then I just had to give you a hug because you're so cute."

_Fuck._

"Uhhh... I-I..." I was at a loss for words. Nobody had ever heard me sing before. Ever. And I wanted to keep it that way, but Natsu had decided to come over early.

"What're you all embarrassed for?" Natsu asked, slipping his arms up so they were crossed over my chest, pulling me closer to him. I hesitated before leaning back into his warmth. "You sound absolutely amazing. I love your voice." he said, as he created a soft trail of kisses up the side of my neck, making me shiver at the pleasant sensation. The gentle pressure of his warm lips on my skin caused my cheeks to turn even more red, if that were possible at this point, so I didn't stop hiding behind my hands.

"B-Because." I stammered out, finally finding my voice. "N-Nobody has ever heard m-me sing before... A-And I think I-I sound terrible."

"Bullshit." Natsu said, with such a matter-of-fact tone I almost laughed.

"I-It is _not!"_ I immediately protested, but he wasn't having it.

"Hush. You sound amazing. And that's that. Honestly I'm so off key. I wish I could sing like you." he shot back, tightening his grip on me as he found the soft spot on the crook of my neck and began to pepper it with tender, loving kisses that made my skin tingle and glow with warmth.

"N-N-Nonsense." I tried my hardest to sound firm, but my voice was shaking so much that I sounded more like a frightened child. "I'm s-sure you sound fine. P-Perhaps better than m-me."

"Hah!" Natsu laughed sarcastically. "I sing all the time in front of people. And I can confidently admit I'm off key. Erza knows it too. So does Lucy. And Gramps. Ask anybody at the guild and they'll tell you I can't sing that well, but I do it all the time anyway."

"W-Whatever." I tried to shrug him off, but he refused to let me go. Instead I focused all my attention on the meat I was currently finishing up. It was fully cooked, but I still needed to sprinkle it with black pepper to give the glistening skin some taste and texture. "G-Go away, I'm m-making dinner."

"I smell that." Natsu made a sound that was somewhere between a happy growl and a soft chuckle. "Is this why you left so early? To make all this? For me?"

"Y-Yeah." I nodded slightly.

"Thank you. This is perfect. You're perfect." he said, and I knew he meant it. With Natsu, you could always tell when he was being sincere. I could sense his smirk as he paused for a moment before saying, "Guess who gets more kisses as a thank-you gift?"

I rolled my eyes and pretended to be annoyed. "Oh, alright. Just don't bother me too much or else I'll burn the beans." I grabbed a small knife and started cutting up a green chilli pepper. The spicy smell that wafted from the little pepper made me want to sneeze. I frowned and added, "I hope you like spicy things, Nat..."

"Oh hell yeah I do. I love them... But not as much as I love you."

"Oh, shut up. Stop being so sappy." I reached behind me to flick his forehead.

"If you do that again I'll bite you." he warned, but there was a playful edge to his voice. There wasn't a single doubt in my mind that he'd actually bite me, but he wouldn't do it with the intent to hurt me. That was why I loved him.

I let out a soft sigh of contentment as he slipped the collar of my shirt off my shoulder so he could give me more kisses, trailing all the way up to my jawline and back down to my shoulder. He seemed to be enjoying himself. Although I occasionally pretended to be annoyed, I didn't try to hide the fact that I loved it. He gave the best kisses.

"You told me this was your ideal date night, so I figured I'd make it happen." I said, as I dished the meat and beans into bowls for us to eat.

"I can't believe you remembered." Natsu smiled, his teeth against my neck. "Thank you for all this. It means so much to me."

"Anytime." I smiled and tilted my head so my cheek was resting in his soft, fluffy pink hair. I waited a moment, savoring his beautiful warmth, before I slowly straightened up and said, "Wasn't cuddling on the couch on your list of things that make a perfect date night?"

I could sense his whole face lighting up. "You really are the best!" he exclaimed, excitedly.

-

That was how I learned that I can freely sing in front of Natsu. He's the only person who has ever heard me sing, and I intend to keep it that way. He likes it like that. He says it's like a little secret about me that only he's allowed to know. And that's exactly how it is.

If he loves my voice, he's the only one who deserves to hear it.

**-**

**THIS. WAS. SO. FLUFFYYYYYYYY!!!! My inner fangirl exploded and died and collapsed all at the same time because of how cute this was omg. I like to think that Gray can sing really well, but he doesn't think so. Natsu does, and that's all that matters. Please leave a review! Request information is listed at the beginning of this fic (the first chapter that is not a chapter). I'd love to hear from you! See you next time!**

**_-UltimatexAdmin_**


	6. You look beautiful

**This chapter was requested by a Guest, who asked me to write for a certain prompt in which Natsu comes out as a trans woman to Gray. Believe it or not, I was really excited when I got this request and started writing right away because even though I'm not trans, I have friends who are and I'm the B in LGBT. It's such a sweet thing to write about, and I really looked forward to posting this. Much love, hope you enjoy this!!!**

**QUICK NOTE: IF YOURE TRANSPHOBIC, GET THE FUCK OUT AND DON'T BOTHER ANYONE AS YOU LEAVE. I DON'T WANNA SEE ANY NASTY COMMENTS ABOUT HOW THIS CHAPTER IS "GROSS" OR WHATEVER THE CASE MAY BE. YOU MEAN TO TELL ME THAT YOU'RE READING A ONE SHOTS BOOK FOR A GAY SHIP AND YOU CAN'T HANDLE TRANSGENDERS? NOPE, I DON'T THINK SO!!! **

**(I apologize for how explosive and rude that sounded, but because I have a family member and a few friends who are trans, I really have absolutely no tolerance whatsoever for transphobic people. They really irk me.)**

**-**

**"You look beautiful."**

**-**

_Natsu POV_

I was so scared because I knew I had to tell him.

It was just one of those things you can't hide from your best friend because they _will_ find out soon we rather than later, and then they'll be mad at you for trying to hide it in the first place.

But I was really absolutely terrified. I didn't want him to think of me any differently. I didn't want him to either hate me or start slowly distancing himself from me because the change made him uncomfortable. I didn't know how he would take it, and that frightened me to the point where I couldn't breathe.

The world is cruel, but I just could not believe that it would be so cruel as to take Gray from me.

Gray, my best friend who had always been there for me through every up and down. He stayed with me and lent me his shoulder to cry on as I admitted to being gay. He laughed with me when I got a perfect score on the final exam, despite having convinced myself I was gonna fail. He was just one of those great people that I absolutely _needed_ to keep in my life. He was essential to my survival.

But now that I had graduated high school and started thinking about college, I had noticed something was a little bit... Off.

I started cringing or even flinching when someone called me "he/him/his" and even sometimes "bro" like guys are prone to call everyone around them. I started disliking the way I wore my vest. I usually had it completely open at the front to show off my sculpted abs that I had spent years doing crunches to gain. But I was suddenly extremely uncomfortable while wearing it like that. And I started gravitating towards more feminine clothes. I also developed an extreme hatred for my own name. I always thought "Natasha" sounded much better. But of course, that was a girl's name.

...and then it hit me.

I was trans.

Ever since figuring that out, it became shockingly obvious how uncomfortable I was in my own body. I hated that I was more muscular and less feminine. I kept thinking about how I'd rather be a girl. I just wanted to be happy, rather than constantly cringing whenever someone used the "wrong" pronouns.

And I think Gray started noticing right away. In fact, I knew he noticed, because he started asking if I was okay a lot more often than usual. It was really sweet how concerned he was, and that's why I knew I had to just gather up my courage and tell him what was going on. But it made me so nervous, thinking about losing him as a friend because I was falling apart inside.

_I didn't ask for these feelings. I didn't ask to start wanting to be a girl. I didn't ask to be so uncomfortable in my own skin that I can barely go out in public without wanting to claw it off._

And that's what I kept telling myself, no matter what. I didn't want to feel this way. But the more I tried to ignore my urges, the stronger they became. Finally I gave up and decided now was the best time to tell Gray what was going on. I doubted he could help me, but at least he'd be aware so he could try.

But what would helping look like? I wasn't sure. So I figured I'd just tell him and see how well he managed to go with it. I felt like his acceptance would be all the help I needed from him. And that's why I knew I had to tell him and see just how good a friend he was to me. A good friend would continue to love and accept you even if you were transgender. A bad friend would give up on you and walk out on you just because seeing you as the opposite gender makes them "uncomfortable".

This was one of the best ways to find out if Gray was really my friend. I didn't doubt it, but I had been unsure of a lot of things lately, so perhaps it was time to put not just my identity but my friendship with him to the test.

Besides, seeing as I was gay, I had always thought Gray was kinda cute. But he was straight. So maybe being a trans woman would improve my chances of being with him. But that's not why I was doing it.

Finally, the right day came. I asked Gray to meet me in the park on a crisp autumn day, and he agreed without hesitation. He also asked if everything was okay like he always did, and this time, I told him, "Not yet... But they will be."

And so, I went home and got ready to meet up with him. What would be the best way to tell him what was going on without telling him? I felt like just coming right out and saying "I'm trans" would be a little too awkward, so I figured I should find a way to show him, if that makes sense, while subtly hinting toward the truth of the matter.

So I wore a dress for the first time. It was a soft pink color, like my hair, and the skirt went down to my knees. I liked the way I looked while wearing it. It wasn't like my other clothes. It felt right. I had bought the dress awhile ago as a gift for my ex girlfriend Lucy while we were still dating. But she dumped me the day before I could give it to her, so I ended up keeping it. It would've been too big for her anyway, I thought to myself with a little smirk.

And then I needed to decide what to do with my hair. I poked the wild pinkish strands with one finger as I intensely stared myself down in a mirror. I wished they were longer, but there was nothing I could do about it. Last I checked, people couldn't ninja-grow long hair in a day.

I sighed, frustrated with my own appearance. "I have to grow this mess out." I muttered, running my fingers through my hair.

So instead I settled with these hair extensions Lucy had given me for Christmas as part of an inside joke. They matched my hair, and made it look ten times longer. The extensions made my hair stream down to my shoulder blades. I stared at my reflection for a moment longer before finally smiling. I looked good, and exactly how I wanted to look.

_Finally. I get to be Natasha. I'm leaving Natsu in the closet._ I thought, as I put on my shoes and skipped out of my room, satisfied.

My phone vibrated on the table, making a soft buzzing sound. I walked over and took a quick glance at the screen. It was from Gray.

_"Oi, hey idiot. I'm running late. I'll meet you there maybe fifteen minutes late. If it's too cold, just text me and go home. I don't want you catching pneumonia lol."_

I wanted to hug my phone like an excited schoolgirl who's just been texted by her crush. Gray was so sweet and worrysome. Honestly, maybe I did have a chance with him. But I didn't want to say anything about that today, because he'd already be overwhelmed enough with the shocking news that Natsu was dead and Natasha had taken his place.

_Natasha is literally everything I want to be. Strong, confident, and feminine. _

With that comforting and thoroughly empowering thought in mind, I strode out the door, intending to walk to the park. I followed through with that plan quite nicely, but then my confidence flopped because people kept giving me weird looks and staring, like I was some freak of nature.

_Maybe I don't look as good as I thought..._

Oh god. What if I didn't actually want Gray to see me like this? Why couldn't I have gone the simple way and just verbally told him what was going on? I mentally kicked myself for being so damn stupid, but it was too late to turn back now, so I pressed on and tried my hardest to ignore the strange looks people gave me as I passed by on the streets.

The park wasn't busy or crowded at all, much to my great relief. I was one of the only people there, and everyone else was too far away to realize I wasn't actually biologically a woman.

_Fuck. I look fucking ridiculous. _I sat down on a bench under a Sakura blossom tree to wait, wringing my hands anxiously. _What will he think? How will he react to seeing me like this? Fuck, fuck, fuck... _I kept inwardly swearing because it honestly helped alleviate some of the stress pushing down on me and making me feel like I had a thousand heavy weights chained to my shoulders.

After what felt like an eternity, my phone went off. I grabbed it in a hurry, secretly hoping Gray had decided to cancel.

_"I'm here, where are you?"_ the text stared back at me almost accusingly and I almost hurled my phone into the tree behind me. That's how nervous I was. I glared at it for a moment before hesitantly typing out a response.

_"On the bench under the Sakura tree. You might not recognize me, just so you know..."_

I hesitated again before sending it. He read it only a moment later, and the "typing" icon appeared below my text for an even longer moment. To me, it felt like an eternity. To those of you who have had tense conversations over text, you know how this feels, when you send something and the other person starts typing and you wish they could just go about ten miles per hour faster...

Finally, a new message from him appeared.

_"Okay..? I'm on my way there now. Wdym I won't recognize you? Did Gajeel give you a black eye again? If so, then don't worry, it's nothing I'm not used to lol." _

I sighed and pressed one hand to my forehead before responding. _"Heh, no. But that's a good guess." _

He read it, but didn't reply, which kinda irked me for some reason. I guess he decided to shut up and see for himself what was going on. Smart boy, I thought.

After a few moments of keeping my head on a swivel, surveying the park around me and warily scanning the area for any sign of pale skin and raven hair, I saw him. He was wearing a gray hoodie with a blue Fairy Tail logo on the front, a black beanie that blended in with his soft hair perched on his head. He had his hands in the front pocket of his hoodie, and he was glancing around with a little frown on his face. I'm pretty sure he didn't realize that I was me until I said something.

I rolled my eyes and called out, "Hey, dummy, I'm over here."

Finally, he looked at me square in the eye, and did a double-take. "Natsu? Um..." he hurried over and paused before sitting down beside me. "Uh, hey, what's up?" he was trying so hard to be casual, and I found that adorable.

"Heh... Nothing much, you?" I replied, clasping my hands in my lap so I didn't keep fidgeting.

"N-Nothing." now it was his turn to get all nervous. "Um... Why are you dressed like that, if you don't mind my asking?"

"That's why I wanted to meet up with you today." I explained, unable to stop my voice from shaking. Now was the moment of truth. "This is how I want to look. Like, from now on." I knew I was being too vague the second I saw how confused he became.

"Uh, okay? I'm not really sure what you're trying to tell me, but... I mean... Okay..." he was stuttering like crazy now, and found something of vast interest to stare at on the ground, rocking back and forth nervously. "Are you okay, Natsu?"

"Call me Natasha." I told him.

And that's when I saw realization dawn in his gorgeous midnight blue eyes.

Gray blanched, and his eyes went wide. "Oh!" he exclaimed, as if the entire universe suddenly mad sense to him. "Uh, okay, cool. That explains a lot. Um, like the way you've been acting recently. Very strange. But it all makes sense now, haha!" he seemed to be laughing nervously, a natural response to being told your best friend is transgender.

"I-I hope you don't m-mind, and I hope y-you don't feel u-uncomfortable or anything..." I began to mumble, and once I started it was impossible to stop. "B-Because I worry that i-if the way I l-look and dress makes you uncomfortable, y-you won't wanna be friends with me anymore b-but you're also the o-only person I know I have a s-small chance of being a-accepted by..." I was babbling now, going on about a topic I wasn't even sure of anymore.

Gray just waited for me to finish, listening with a patient smile like he always did, as I went on and on and... _Wait._

Gray was smiling.

That made me shut up for sure. I shot him a suspicious glare. "What's with the goofy grin?" I demanded, my confusion and anxiety making me sound a lot harsher than I meant to.

"Oh, nothing. I'm waiting for you to finish so I can tell you that you don't have to worry at all." he shook his head with a strange glimmer in his eyes I had never seen before. "You look beautiful, Natasha. And I'd never feel uncomfortable around you _ever."_ he told me.

My mouth dropped open in shock. Not only had he used my new name correctly, but he had called me... Beautiful? No. This couldn't be happening. Never in a thousand years had I imagined this would go so well.

Unable to stop myself, I threw my arms around him and pulled him into a hug, burying my face in his warm shoulder. "Thanks, Gray. You have no idea how much that meant to me."

"Anytime, idiot."

_The end._

**Damn that was cute. I'm sorry for being so vague with some details, I'm really busy and I have a lot on my mind right now. I hope I didn't disappoint too terribly, and I hope you stick around for the next chapter. Love y'all! Thanks for the request!**

**_-UltimatexAdmin_**


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